Making a Success: QIA/CEL summer conferences 2008

The 2008 QIA and CEL summer conference, Making a Success, set the scene for the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), new sector-led improvement organisation that will bring together the work of the two agencies.

More than 700 delegates from across the Further Education and skills sector attended the one-day conference which was held at four regional venues — Bristol (10 June), London (12 June), Nottingham (19 June) and Newcastle (24 June).

2008 Programme

The conference sought feedback from leaders, managers and practitioners on the proposed structure of the new organisation and its planned programmes and services. It also gave them a chance, through interactive workshops, to share effective practice across the sector and discuss what excellence looks like and how it can be achieved.

Highlights of the conference included:

an announcement by Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, that new organisation will be called the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS)
an inspirational speech by Dame Ruth Silver, chair of LSIS, who set out her vision for the new organisation and revealed that its first chief executive will be Roger McClure, formerly chief executive of the Scottish Further and Higher Educatiion Funding Council.
a welcome to LSIS from Sir George Sweeney on behalf of The Single Voice for Self Regulation (for Further Education)
the launch of a sector-wide consultation on the new National Improvement Strategy for the further education system by Kate Anderson, QIA's acting chief executive and group director, Improvement and Strategy. Delegates took part in roundtable sessions to discuss what the strategy will mean for them and how they can help to shape it. You can read Kate's presentation here

Sue Dutton, interim chief executive of the new sector-owned improvement body also gave a presentation and you can see her slide on the National Improvement Strategy here
a range of 13 workshops covering topics as diverse as developing employer responsive provision, models of good practice in teaching and learning, and peer review and development and its contribution to the move towards self-regulation for the sector. You can see a selection of the presentations here

A summary report of the conference is available here

Videos of the keynote speeches and workshop presentations from all the events will be available on this site shortly.

If you would like further information, please call 0870 211 3434 and ask to speak to QIA's Communications team. Alternatively, you can email general.info@qia.org.uk